A Night as the Stats Stringer
Have you ever wondered how the statistics and play-by-play were compiled at a Clearwater Threshers game?
I got to experience it first-hand again last night as the stats stringer for MiLB. In the Florida State League, the stats stringer communicates by phone with an operator up north who enters the information into the MiLB software. This is the information that you see on the Internet when you visit our Official Site or the Minor League Baseball web site.
The stats stringer arrives in the press box around 15-20 minutes before the game and sits between the scoreboard operator and the official scorer. The first order of business is to call and give information about the starting lineups and current weather conditions. The stats stringer is supposed to keep score and detailed notes to give as much information as possible to the operator. It is important to note that while the stats stringer does keep score, the official scorer makes all the scoring decisions. Calls are made at every half-inning to provide frequent updates. Attention to detail, especially the current batter and pitcher are very important.
It was definitely a nice change of pace for me, as it usually takes me about 10-20 games to catch nine innings of baseball.
3 comments:
Is there anyway that the next 5 Threshers starters could be listed somewhere on this site? Thanks.
I've always wondered how the stats get up on the site. Who exactly employees the stats stringer? And how do I get that job?
Laura - That would be a great feature, however at this time our club doesn't feel comfortable posting that information due to so many changes in the roster and rotation.
Jeff - When it started, I think BAM employeed the stringer. At this point, I think it's up to the individual club. Jason keeps the schedule for them.
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